Countdown for the 2018 National Rally at the Belvedere & Calder Vale Sports Club, near Burnley in Lancashire., UK on the weekend of 18th-20th May 2018.
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History of the M.C.C.

The CX & GL MCC (UK) is an Internet based group for owners and fans of the Honda series of transverse, V twin, Shaft drive 400, 500 and 650cc motorbikes.

Humble Beginnings

It all began in January 2002 with a phonecall from Steve Corney in Exeter. Steve
spent much of his time at work on the net searching for obscure aircraft parts
from various suppliers around the world. He also commuted every day backwards
and forwards on a CX 500 C that he had rebuilt years earlier, from a box of
bits bought at an auto jumble, a brave man! Steve's bike was pretty much like
him: unique, the ignition for instance, was a starter button from a Chipmunk
aircraft, held onto the bike with a spare spanner!

Anyway, when the local Motorcycle Action Group in Exeter folded due to lack
of interest, Steve was left with time on his hands and virtually no motorcycling
buddies. He surfed the net for hours at a time (at his employer's expense '
good man) and noted that there was NO CX Owners club operating in the UK at
that time.

For want of anything better to do, he contacted me (Skippy) and asked if I
thought that forming a club would be feasible, and after few beers I couldn't
think of a reason why not' So off Steve went again, surfing the net, this time
looking around the Swedish and American owners sites for every email address
that ended in .UK. Steve compiled a list and at the beginning of Feb 02 sent
out a mail shot.

Not knowing any better in those early days we congregated on Yahoo.com, but
it wasn't a very friendly environment and on the 11th February 2002 we all received
a message from Gaz asking us to move to the CX-GL M.C.C. UK Community site on
the Microsoft Network (MSN) and the rest is history.
Those Comstars Just 'Keep' Turning
Gaz, it would appear, like the rest of us had an affinity to his bike (a black
500 Eurosport) and had previously owned other CX models. As a consequence of
setting up the community on MSN Gaz was nominated as the 'manager' ' making
a clear distinction between us the 'CX-GL M.C.C. UK' and other motorcycling
clubs and organisations. Over the months that followed, Gaz approached me: Skippy
- and Steve, and asked us both to accept the role of Assistant Manager ' this
we did. A few months later Steve announced that he was moving to Spain in double
quick time, as he had just returned from a touring holiday with his wife and
bought a house over there! Things don't stand still in this M.C.C. and before
long we had another Asst Manager: Roly, who found us a location for our first
rally. Later, at our behest, Del Boy, Tim, Hacky, Johnny Alpha, Paul & Dave
all accepted roles within the 'management team'. We still retain our respective
titles as assistant managers, as that is all we are ' the M.C.C. fundamentally
runs it's self, all decisions facing the M.C.C. are discussed on a weekly basis
in the M.C.C. chat room - as democratic as we can make it!

At first, Gaz & I were concerned that we were on a hiding to nowhere. Questions
like; is there any one else out there like us, or are we just a couple of motorcycling
aberrations' It didn't take us long to realise that unloved by the press the
CX maybe, unfairly dubbed the 'Plastic Maggot' by cynical journalists spoiled
by the latest 'Crotch Rocket' ' there are a large group of people out there
who LOVE their bikes: and all we were doing was giving them a place to congregate
and enjoy themselves.

'The times they are a changing!'

Since those first days, the M.C.C. has taken off in a way that none of use
expected. Early on we recognised that while the M.C.C. would slowly grow on
the MSN it wasn't that particularly easy to find, especially with a search engine
like Google ' so on a whim and a debit card the web address cx-gl.org.uk was
purchased.

Gaz and I struggled to create a single web page - Gaz finally did manage it,
without my so called 'help' - which we wanted to use as a sort of sign post
into our group area on the MSN. As time passed, so the M.C.C. membership continued
to grow and the need to get a bit more 'organised' became very necessary. The
UK was broken down into regions and an Assistant Manager appointed as a representative
for each region (see the relevant page for a current list of management team
members).

Each succeeding year, since the first M.C.C rally on that exceeding hot late
May bank holiday we have held the 'M.C.C. National Rally'; always in a different
location. The second year we went to Stotfold, thanks to Delboys sister Shirley,
the year after to Keswick in Cumbria and then we had the magnificent JOCX Rally
at Wiston in Scotland, when the first of our European friends made the trip
over here! In 2006 we returned the compliment to our Scottish region and held
the National event down in Devon. Next year, and following years'''' It could
be near you!

At each National Rally we hold the AGM and major issues facing the M.C.C. are
debated and decided upon. With the probability of subscription being voted in
(which was the subject of much discussion during 2005) the management team was
able to institute a programme of improvements that would allow us an up-rated
shop, affiliation to the British Motorcycling Federation, an improved M.C.C.
chatroom facility and the Associate Membership programme.

Moving On

We also made a historic move away from the Microsoft Network; (no tears where
shed) the MSN group site had been our home for the first 4 years and it is true
to say that we had literally out grown them. We had 957 signed in members (not
all of whom where active by any shakes) and where receiving messages from the
MSN telling us we were using too much bandwidth''''.. Time for a change!!!

Dave French, our web master worked extremely hard during the first quarter
of 2006; we also took on a Membership Secretary (Thank you Karen) and appointed
Rob Davis as 'Rest of the World Liaison' to represent Associate members. By
the middle of June 06 where in a position to role out our new website, with
its own noticeboards, chatroom and links to various different areas. It's an
ongoing process and will take a little more effort and some tweaks to get it
perfect!!!!..

What we've achieved is to gather together the unlikeliest bunch characters
you could ever meet, all of whom just want to tinker with their bikes, ride
them and generally have a good time! Members of this M.C.C. have ridden all
over Europe to visit other clubs and rallies; with only one or two mishaps along
the way, (thank goodness for decent break down cover and the overwhelming generosity
of our friends abroad).

We've lost a couple of friends over the years, each are remembered by their
mates at the AGM with a toast and a simple, but touching poem.

While we take pride in out UK heritage, we actively welcome everyone who shares
our passion for CX & GL's. Truly, motorcycling knows no boundaries, and
the Internet makes the world a small place.

Members of this M.C.C. seem to be of a 'mature' nature. One of our greatest
assets is Delboy, much loved and respected by all. He's now 80 years old, and
is a worldly wise steadying hand to the rest of us 'young pups' We are sure
he will continue to ride with us for many more years to come!